Ilex verticillata (winterberry)

Ilex verticillata (L.) A. Gray

Ilex bronxensis Britton

Ilex fastigiata E.P. Bicknell

Ilex verticillata (L.) A. Gray var. cyclophylla B.L. Rob.

Ilex verticillata (L.) A. Gray var. fastigiata (E.P. Bicknell) Fernald

Ilex verticillata (L.) A. Gray var. padifolia (Willd.) Torr. & A. Gray ex S. Watson

Ilex verticillata (L.) A. Gray var. tenuifolia (Torr.) S. Watson

Winterberry, common winterberry

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Asteridae	A large class that encompasses asters
Order	Aquifoliales	Hollies and some fairly obscure genera
Family	Aquifoliaceae	Holly family
Genus	Ilex	Latin for “holly oak” (rather than holly!)
Species	verticillata	From Latin verticillus, “whorled”

About plant names...

We live next to a beaver pond. Winterberry, a variety of holly, is widespread around the pond’s perimeter. While most holly varieties are evergreens, winterberries lose their leaves in the winter, leaving stunningly bright berries behind, berries that attract birds and persist for much of the winter. This woody shrub is present in much of the eastern half of the United States, even as far south as Florida, and in southeastern Canada. Here in Massachusetts I have seen it reach heights of 7' (2.1 m) or so, but some varieties are up to 15' (4.6 m) in height.

Identification: Winterberry is a hardy, multiple-stemmed shrub 6-10' (1.8-3 m) tall and generally oval in shape, with gray branches with large white patches. Leaves are 1½-3" (3.8-7.6 cm) × ¾-1¼" (1.9-3.2 cm), elliptical in shape, with slight serrations. Small white ⅛" (5 mm) flowers have five to eight petals. Round bright red fruits, ¼" (6.3 mm) in diameter, persist through much of the winter. The fruits form in clusters or whorls around the stems. Winterberries prefer wetlands.

The cultivar ‘Red Sprite’ has larger, somewhat more plentiful berries, and is here growing in well-drained soil rather than its preferred acidic wet soils. There are many other cultivars available.

Online References:

Ilex verticillata on www.carolinanature.com

Ilex verticillata at the University of Connecticut Plant Database

Ilex verticillata on Wikipedia

Ilex verticillata at the Ohio State University PLANTFacts database

Ilex verticillata at the University of Connecticut Plant Database

Ilex verticillata at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Ilex verticillata on Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants

9/15/2016 · Cadillac Mountain Summit, Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, ME

8/30/2010 · Old RR bed near Wilkins Farm, Pepperell, MA
≈ 9 × 6" (23 × 15 cm)

9/20/2009 · Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, ME
≈ 12 × 8" (31 × 20 cm) ID is uncertain

9/20/2009 · Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, ME
≈ 3½ × 2½" (9.8 × 6.6 cm) ID is uncertain

9/28/2013 · Cadillac Mountain, Acadia Naitonal Park, Bar Harbor, ME
≈ 14 × 9" (35 × 23 cm)

8/30/2010 · Old RR bed near Wilkins Farm, Pepperell, MA
≈ 6 × 4" (15 × 10 cm)

9/25/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, near Hospital, Ayer, MA
≈ 31 × 21" (78 × 52 cm) ID is uncertain

10/6/2011 · Pack Monadnock, 2200', Peterborough, NH
≈ 8 × 5" (19 × 13 cm)

8/30/2010 · Old RR bed near Wilkins Farm, Pepperell, MA
≈ 9 × 7" (22 × 18 cm)

9/25/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, near Hospital, Ayer, MA
≈ 15 × 10" (39 × 26 cm) ID is uncertain

Ilex verticillata description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.

9/20/2009 · Wild Gardens of Acadia, Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, ME
≈ 15 × 10" (39 × 26 cm) ID is uncertain

12/22/2011 · Groton Place and Sabine Woods, Groton, MA
≈ 7 × 4½" (17 × 11 cm)

6/20/2016 · Wildlife Pond Trail, Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, NH

9/20/2009 · Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, ME
≈ 9 × 6" (23 × 15 cm) ID is uncertain

9/25/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, near Hospital, Ayer, MA
≈ 17 × 12" (44 × 29 cm) ID is uncertain

10/23/2009 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, MA
≈ 3½ × 2½' (1.2 × 0.8 m)

9/20/2009 · Wild Gardens of Acadia, Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, ME
≈ 21 × 14" (52 × 34 cm) ID is uncertain

8/27/2010 · Beaver Brook Association Conservation Lands, Rte. 130, Hollis, NH
≈ 9 × 6" (22 × 14 cm)

9/11/2013 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, MA
≈ 6 × 4½" (15 × 11 cm)

6/22/2017 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, MA
≈ 6 × 4" (14 × 11 cm)

6/22/2017 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, MA
≈ 8 × 5" (20 × 13 cm)

9/15/2010 · Red Dot Trail, Long Lake Park, Littleton, MA
≈ 17 × 12" (44 × 29 cm)

9/29/2013 · North Bubble Hike, Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, ME
≈ 4 × 2½' (1.2 × 0.8 m)

6/20/2016 · Wildlife Pond Trail, Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, NH

Range:

About this map...